Sell Your Vintage Watch

Vintage Watches Always Wanted

We constantly want to purchase exceptional examples of the sort of vintage wristwatches that are offered for sale on this site, both from the general public and from within the jewellery and antiques trades. Though we’re based in the UK, we are perfectly willing to purchase suitable items both from vendors here and those overseas. If you have a vintage or antique watch for sale in outstanding original condition, it is well worth dropping us a line. Without fail, we buy several watches literally every day of the week and are always delighted to forge new relationships with suppliers, especially those who may well come across watches that may interest us on a regular basis.

Without wishing to sound patronising, we are well aware that the vintage wristwatch field can be a confusing one in which slight changes in specification can have enormous effect on value. With this in mind, it is worth mentioning that we are always happy to carefully talk a potential vendor through any watch he may wish to sell, asking him a series of questions that will enable us to identify it and state the sum at which we would add it to our stock. This can often be especially useful for the jeweller or antique dealer who has been offered a watch by a member of the general public but who isn’t a vintage watch specialist and isn’t exactly sure as to what he should be paying them for it. Questions of this kind can be asked by email or, if an immediate quotation is needed, by telephone. In the latter situation, it is very helpful if the watch is actually to hand, preferably with its case back removed to allow inspection of its movement.

The niche market that we’re in is very much for really outstandingly preserved watches that are suitable for investment acquisition rather than daily use. There obviously is a strong market for more mediocre watches, but this is not our field. If you have a run of the mill watch in average condition, it probably won’t be for us unless we happen to be specifically looking for a spare parts donor for that particular model. On the other hand, if you’re got an immaculate example that is completely original, perhaps the sort of thing that has been lying unused and forgotten about at the back of a drawer for many decades, then we’d be very interested indeed to hear from you.

While obviously as a commercial enterprise we are unable to pay the same amount when buying stock as we charge when selling it, we work on a far smaller profit margin than most dealers in the UK vintage watch field, not least because in rural Yorkshire, we don’t have to constantly cover the vast overheads that are inevitable when running a central London shop. We will pay over the odds for the sort of high grade material that is our stock in trade, especially since the pool of this type of watch is drying up at a very rapid rate. Similarly, as specialists who only sell vintage wristwatches and nothing else, with a strong customer base of serious collectors in several continents, we can invariably pay a lot more for good, original pieces than could ever be viably offered by a local jeweller. We can significantly improve upon the estimates suggested by auction houses, both at a local independent level and by Christie’s, Bonhams, Sotheby’s etc, in addition to which, there is obviously no expensive commission to be paid when selling directly to us or need for delay until an appropriate auction sale takes place.

It really doesn’t matter whether you have a single watch or a collection of several dozen pieces. If these are offered to us, we’ll evaluate each watch individually and give you a firm offer accordingly. Unlike a lot of retail jewellers, if we make an offer, we will stick to it and certainly never attempt to reduce this when the time comes to hand over payment. If you then wish to drop your watches in to us in person, we’ll give you a cheque for the agreed amount or, if you prefer, you can receive payment in cash. If you’re some distance away or unable to visit, then watches can be sent to us by insured Special Delivery post. Upon arrival, these will be examined and an offer made to you on the same day by either telephone or email, whichever you prefer. If this offer is accepted, payment will be sent out immediately in cheque form by first class Recorded Delivery post. In the unlikely event that our offer is rejected, your watch will be returned to you immediately, again by Special Delivery post, together with a full refund of the postal expenses you incurred when sending the item to us.

Unfortunately, in order to be able to take full responsibility at all times for the watches we offer, we do not sell items on consignment for third parties. All the watches for sale on this site are owned outright by vintage-watches-collection.com and if you are specifically looking for an outlet that can sell your watch on your behalf and take a percentage of the proceeds, we are not a suitable vehicle for your needs.

We are not only looking for watches. Far from it in fact. Also very much on the wanted list are original watch boxes for any of the brands we sell from the World War I era right through to the 1980s and original buckles for the same. Just occasionally over the years, we have been lucky enough to stumble across significant quantities of old stock boxes and buckles on the premises of long established jewellers, most notably in South American countries, and would always be interested in purchasing further similar hoards.

Last but definitely not least, we are always looking for information that will assist with research into the development of the wristwatch industry over the last century. This site is devoted to the supply of very high grade examples of vintage watches for investment, but it is also intended as an educational resource for collectors and other interested parties, hopefully providing information which is not on offer elsewhere. If you have been an employee of any of the major Swiss brands, either in Switzerland or at one of their overseas agents, at any time from the 1920s onwards, it would be a pleasure to correspond with you. The same applies to anyone who has worked for any of the renowned case making companies, for instance Dennison of Birmingham or David Shackman in London, or been employed at any of the assay offices. The experiences of all these people are so significant when we’re trying to preserve the history of the golden age of wristwatch manufacturing. We would be highly delighted to purchase any period photographs that show life inside these various factories, and any other associated documents, these perhaps including pay slips, contracts of employment, chronometer testing certificates, old newspaper cuttings, vintage wristwatch advertising material etc.